Clafoutis with cherries, a classic French dessert
Who doesn't love clafoutis, one of the most classic desserts of French cuisine. After visiting the Engelendael cherry farm, I came home with 4 kilograms of cherries. I was in the mood for a quick dessert, and nothing is easier than baking clafoutis.
What is clafoutis?
Clafoutis is a very delicious, typical French dessert. You mix flour, eggs, milk and sugar. You pour the batter over a layer of fruit and bake the mixture in the oven. Serve a clafoutis fresh from the oven and still a little lukewarm for the ultimate pleasure of your taste buds.
There is some debate about the origin of the word clafoutis. Some say the word is derived from the Occitan verb clafir which means to fill. You fill an oven-dish with fruit and then top it with dough. According to others, clafoutis comes from the Latin term clavum fingere. This translates as planting a nail and it refers to the cherries in the dough.
The real clafoutis
Whichever is the correct explanation, they both refer to the birthplace of the clafoutis: the region of Limoges - Auvergne, located in central France. The dish first appeared there in the mid-19th century. You can make clafoutis with all kinds of fruits, but authentic clafoutis is made with cherries, as is clear from the Latin clavum fingere.
Which cherries do I use?
Prefer dark and firm cherries for your clafoutis. According to the original preparation, you also leave the cherry pit. This has its advantages. First of all, it is less work, the cherries retain their juice and the clafoutis also looks nicer. Apparently, the pits also yield additional flavor. The downside? Biting on a cherry pit is bound to mean a visit to the dentist. I prefer to play it safe and carefully remove each cherry pit.
Other fruit
You can, of course, use fruit other than cherries, but then you are no longer talking about clafoutis. You then make a flaugnarde. Typically, you make it with apples, pears, peaches or plums but also with berries such as raspberries or blueberries.
Recipe: delicious clafoutis with cherries
For your clafoutis, use a round, flat baking dish made of glass or ceramic and with a diameter of no more than 25 cm. You can also use single dishes. Just adjust the baking time accordingly.
Ingredients
- 400 g cherries
- 3 large eggs
- 80 g sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 75 g flour
- 200 ml of milk
- 100 ml of cream
- 1 knob of butter
- Powdered sugar for finishing
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Prepare the cherries:
Wash the cherries and remove the stems. Dry the cherries thoroughly. You can remove the pits, but it is not necessary.
Rub the baking dish with the butter and spread the cherries evenly over the bottom.
Heat the oven to 190 °C.
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Make the dough:
Take a large mixing bowl in which you beat the eggs with the sugar and a pinch of salt until frothy. Sift the flour and add it to the egg mixture. Make sure you don't have any lumps.
Mix in the cream and milk, little by little while whisking constantly.
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Time to bake:
Pour the smooth batter over the cherries and place the dish in the oven. Let the clafoutis bake for 45 to 50 minutes. If you use single dishes, your clafoutis will be ready after only 20 to 25 minutes.
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Time to feast:
Let the clafoutis cool to the desired temperature. I prefer my clafoutis lukewarm and creamy but if you prefer a firmer dessert, let the clafoutis cool completely. Before you indulge in the dessert, sprinkle some powdered sugar on top.
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